The Purge (2013)

The Purge Synopsis

If on one night every year, you could commit any crime without facing consequences, what would you do? In The Purge, a speculative thriller that follows one family over the course of a single night, four people will be tested to see how far they will go to protect themselves when the vicious outside world breaks into their home.

In an America wracked by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity—including murder—becomes legal. The police can't be called. Hospitals suspend help. It's one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking.

When an intruder breaks into James Sandin's (Ethan Hawke) gated community during the yearly lockdown, he begins a sequence of events that threatens to tear a family apart. Now, it is up to James, his wife, Mary (Lena Headey), and their kids to make it through the night without turning into the monsters from whom they hide.

Blumhouse Productions hasn't yet announced The Purge 3. But with The Purge Anarchy earning better reviews from critics, and bigger box office than it's predecessor, a third installment in the dystopian horror franchise seems all but guaranteed. And now we have an idea of where the third movie might go, thanks to one of the stars of the last.

Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions's new 10-year deal will include partnerships across NBCUniversal's businesses, including Universal Television and Universal Cable Productions. It's a first look production deal that essentially means future Blumhouse movies will first be offered to Universal for distribution.

The first Purge movie showed us what the annual "Purge" is like for a family locked inside their own home. The sequel will take the Purge to the streets, revealing the horror that awaits those trapped out in the open when all crime is legal for a twelve-hour period.

They all join the previously cast Frank Grillo (The Grey), which technically gives this film more star power than the first film, in which Ethan Hawke was the only redeeming value. Returning writer-director James DeMonaco really needs to trim a lot of fat off of this premise if he expects audiences to make this sequel as big a success as its predecessor. (The Purge earned $89 million on a $3 million budget.)

From The Hangover Part III to Much Ado About Nothing and much, much more, there's actually a nice hodgepodge of films and television from a variety of different genres available this week. You can check out some of the other October 8 titles after the jump.

It was a familiar tune at the box office this weekend. A second rate, low budget, hardly worth your time horror flick raced to the top while a moderately interesting but poorly executed concept comedy (lead by two actors who are joining the ever growing group of middle age comedians struggling to find roles that match their age) floundered in with only modest success. All in all, there was a number one, but there were no winners.

The history of Hollywood is littered with low budget horror movies that wildly exceeded expectations. From Paranormal Activity to Saw, these films have not only generated incredible returns on initial investments, they’ve launched lucrative franchises, and if this weekend’s early estimates hold up, it seems a new horror movie may add its name to that pool of brilliant and bloody successes.

With so many titles to choose from, Netflix Instant's library can be overwhelming. So we bring you this biweekly column as a tool to cut through the clutter by highlighting some now streaming titles that pair well with the latest theatrical releases.

Well, it’s hot as heck out there which can only mean we’re knee deep in the summer movie season. And it wouldn’t be the season without its fair share of blockbusters and bombs. This week looks like a mixed bag with an internship at Google and our annual purge.

Considering the film is touted as being “From the producer of Paranormal Activity and Sinister,” there’s really no reason to think this film was going to be any more realistic. But Hawke was the force that anchored Sinister’s somewhat silly premise, there’s no reason to think he won’t do the same here.